The Fresno Chaffee Zoo is a zoo in Roeding Park in Fresno, California, covering 39 acres and housing over 190 species. Its attractions include Stingray Bay, Dino Dig, Valley Farm, Sea Lion Cove, African Adventure, and Ross Laird’s Winged Wonders Bird Show. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
History
The zoo was formed sometime around 1908. The earliest zoo record describes a collection of two bears and around fifty birds of various species. According to the zoo’s website, “bears, local cats, hoofstock, and birds were added to the Zoo and housed in log cabin type exhibits. “The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) officially recognized the park opening in 1929 as the Roeding Park Zoo. Only a few animals were seen, but that number would later rise. The year attendance was around 2,000, and most visitors were from Fresno and the surrounding areas. Junk Removal Fresno
1940-1960
The zoo grew substantially in the 1940s and 1950s, with 100 animals and more birds by 1947. The zoo’s first foreman, Eldon “Curly” Blocker, was hired from the San Diego Zoo. In 1949, the zoo’s Asian elephant Nosey (a name determined by a citywide “Name-the-Elephant” Contest) was acquired with help from the Fresno Rotary Club. Her arrival coincided with Fresno’s “49ers Days Rodeo Parade”, and Nosey’s presence in that parade was popular enough to spawn the creation of the Fresno Zoological Society, which would create interest in the zoo and provide a fundraising mechanism. In the 1950s, ten large exhibits were added to the zoo grounds with monkeys, sea lions, camels, giraffes, an African bird aviary, a flamingo habitat, and on-site feed and medical compounds. The zoo became an institutional member of the AZA in 1957. In 1965 Paul S. Chaffee was hired as the zoo’s first director. In the late 1960s, the animal exhibits were renovated, with climate control added to increase the comfort of the animals. 1967 the large bird of prey exhibit was constructed, and in 1968, a master plan for future development was drafted.
Present
In 2004, “Measure Z” was passed by the voters (73%) in Fresno to raise money to expand the zoo and improve the animal exhibits. The US$150 million project was contingent upon submitting and reviewing an environmental impact report. The name of the zoo was shortened to Fresno Chaffee Zoo in 2006. In 2007, a traveling “Stingray Bay” exhibit visited and attracted large crowds. Several stingrays were bred while they were visiting Fresno, CA. In 2009, a permanent Stingray Bay exhibit was opened, funded by Measure Z. In the rain forest exhibit, the former butterfly house (Maddis House) reopened as the Tropical Treasures exhibit in March 2009, with poison dart frogs and a sloth, among other species.
Check out other attractions like Fresno County Blossom Trail